Michelle Herbert reviews The Switch by Justina Robson…
The Switch throws you straight into its story, where we find Nico, the main character, standing before a judge about to be sentenced to death for a crime he cannot remember committing. On the way to Nico’s execution, we follow Nico’s life story from his time at an orphanage where he meets Twostar, to the events leading up to Nico’s current predicament.
Through Nico we learn more about the world of Harmony, where everyone is made to alchemic perfection, meaning that you should be coded with one moon, and one sun, which would mean in any other allegory that you are straight. Being born with a genetic defect, such as having two moons or two suns, means that you are not wanted by this society. Eventually, people born with these kinds of defects end up in Chaontium. Chaontium is the dark side of Harmony, a wasteland full of gangs and corruption.
When Nico meets Twostar at one of the state-sponsored orphanages for defective children, they both learn that life is never going to be fair. Nico and Twostar’s relationship is symbiotic, he is the brawn to her brains. After Nico and Twostar escape the orphanage they present themselves as a package deal when it comes to surviving the gangs and cartels. This leads Nico and Twostar into a world of trouble as they navigate Chaontium, realising they are still part of a system they have no control over.
Within the first one hundred pages, we are brought up to speed on how Nico came to be on trial. This is due to the mysterious Switch of the title, a piece of technology that Nico is told will give him the ability to control a spaceship, which would allow Nico and Twostar to finally leave Harmony and explore the stars. At this point in the book, I felt that the story became much more interesting for the degrees of subterfuge that are layered over everything that follows. Nico has to rely on his own wits as he discovers who he can and can’t trust. The book reminds me slightly of the original Total Recall film, as the story becomes intense and full of action, with the pace increasing at the same time. The Switch also contains moments of comedy and disbelief for the characters. It is also good to see that Nico finally trusts his emotions and starts growing as a person.
The Switch is a novel that takes some time to get into but is rewarding once you give in to the journey. Harmony is a much darker place than it first seems and it is interesting to see how much Nico and Twostar learn over the course of the story and whether they can affect any changes to the lives of those around them. This is a book that does challenge the conceived notions of how Harmony works for those who live there and for those that don’t.
Michelle Herbert
